Eating out at a restaurant is a fun experience for many people, but when a customer is injured on site, who is responsible? Is the restaurant liable for their customer’s injuries?

When is a restaurant liable for their customer’s injuries?

Restaurants have  a duty of care and obligation to protect their customer’s well-being. A reckless or negligent restaurant owner may be liable if they don’t fix hazards or don’t maintain safe conditions for their guests. Restaurants must reasonably repair, manage or correct situations in order to try to avoid accidents, especially around food to avoid contamination.

Restaurants and retail stores have a duty of care to prevent dangerous situations and accidents from occurring. A few examples of some common accidents include:

• Serving food and drinks that are scalding or excessively hot and that can cause severe burns
• Spilling excessively hot food on customers
• Serving it without warning customers
• Lack of a handrail on the stairways causing a fall hazard
• Slippery floors that present a slip, trip and fall hazard
• Poor lighting that presents a slip, trip and fall hazard
• Spilled food on floor that presents a slip, trip and fall hazard
• Lacerations or punctures from contact with knives, cutting tools, or broken glass
• Food poisoning
• Ignoring a customer’s food allergy
• Choking accidents

Possible injuries or health issues customers could sustain from restaurant accidents include:

• Burns and scarring
• Head trauma
• Spinal cord injury
• Broken bones
• Stomach pain
• Rashes or hives

Customers can sue restaurants if they suffered an injury for compensation for:

• Medical Expenses
• Lost wages
• Lost future earning potential
• Pain and suffering

For more information about restaurant accidents, send us a message.